Warner Bros.

THE HANGOVER Director Todd Phillips Sets Up Four Possible Directorial Projects at Warner Bros.

by Adam Chitwood    Posted: February 6th, 2012 at 3:49 pm

Director Todd Phillips quickly became a household name following the smashing success of 2009’s The Hangover. Phillips wasn’t exactly an unknown before the comedy-megahit, as he had success directing raunchy comedies like Old School, Road Trip, and the PG-13 adaptation of Starsky and Hutch, but The Hangover (and its subsequent sequel) allowed the director to have considerable creative control in developing his own projects. The director is currently prepping a third (and likely final) installment of The Hangover, but he recently re-upped his deal with Warner Bros. paving the way for four possible directorial projects at the studio:

• Mule – A young couple turn to drug trafficking in order to make it through the recession.
• Arms and the Dudes – Two stoners make it big in the arms dealing business but then are cleaned out by the government.
• The Island – Plot details unknown, but Due Date’s Adam Sztykiel wrote the script.
• Million Dollar Strong – Feature film version of the YouTube and Funny or Die shorts from Ken Jeong and Mike O’Connell.

Hit the jump for more on Phillips and these four projects.

Akiva Goldsman Lands Russell Crowe and Will Smith for Directorial Debut WINTER’S TALE

by Adam Chitwood    Posted: February 1st, 2012 at 11:53 am

Exactly one year ago today, we reported that Oscar-winning screenwriter Akiva Goldsman (A Beautiful Mind) was set to make his directorial debut with an adaptation of Mark Helprin’s novel Winter’s Tale. The fantasy tells the story of a thief, a dying girl, and a flying white horse in 19th century and contemporary Manhattan. The $75 million film was set up at Warner Bros., but we’ve heard practically nothing about the project since that announcement. Apparently the film has been languishing at the studio over financial issues (why wouldn’t WB want to pay $75 million for a drama starring a flying horse?), but now Goldsman’s project has gained a considerable amount of steam with two casting coups: Russell Crowe and Will Smith. Hit the jump for more, including a synopsis of the novel.

Steven Spielberg Near a Deal to Direct “Gritty” Moses Epic GODS AND KINGS in Spring 2013

by Brendan Bettinger    Posted: January 25th, 2012 at 7:27 pm

Warner Bros. and producers Dan Lin and Matti Leshem are developing a Moses epic by the title of Gods and Kings.  They reached out to Steven Spielberg to direct last fall, but the odds seemed low since the man is already juggling so many projects.  Yet Spielberg entered into negotiations with the studio before year’s end.  Now word comes that Spielberg is very close to signing on the dotted line.  The director just wrapped on Lincoln, and is already at work on Robopocalypse, so he’s tied up for at least a year.  But Warner Bros. hopes they can get Gods and Kings in production with Spielberg in the director’s chair by March or April of 2013.

With the new report comes new details on what Spielberg has in mind for the massive project, which he reportedly sees as a “Braveheart-ish version of the Moses story.”  Hit the jump for more.

Bradley Cooper, Ed Helms, and Zach Galifianakis Near Big Salary Deals for THE HANGOVER 3; May Start Production This Summer

by Adam Chitwood    Posted: January 25th, 2012 at 9:40 am

It appears The Hangover 3 is inevitable. Shortly after the release of the disappointing The Hangover Part II, director Todd Phillips promised a second sequel that would complete the trilogy. Now, after a long negotiation period, the film’s stars Bradley Cooper, Ed Helms, and Zach Galifianakis are close to landing a major pay raise to reprise their roles. The trio are apparently asking for $15 million each (against backend), which is a steep increase from the $5 million each (plus backend) for The Hangover Part II, and under $1 million they received for the first film in the comedy franchise. Hit the jump for more, including how soon The Hangover 3 may hit theaters.

Warner Bros. Puts ARTHUR & LANCELOT on Hold; Pushes JACK THE GIANT KILLER 3D Back to 2013

by Dave Trumbore    Posted: January 19th, 2012 at 7:24 pm

Not long after Warner Bros. was reportedly getting cold feet with the swelling budget of David Dobkin’s Arthur & Lancelot, it looks like the studio has officially hit the pause button. The film, starring Kit Herington (Game of Thrones) and Joel Kinnaman (The Darkest Hour) in a reimagined Arthurian legend, was supposed to open March 15, 2013. Dobkin (The Wedding Crashers) reportedly informed cast and crew that it “wasn’t looking good,” although studio insiders confirm they’re trying to make the project work. Warner envisions the tone of Arthur & Lancelot to be in a similar vein to their Sherlock Holmes franchise, but will have to negotiate budget and scheduling difficulties. Herington, will return to Game of Thrones this spring while Kinnaman is expected to segue into the film shoot after wrapping on AMC’s The Killing. The project may move forward without one or both of the actors. Hit the jump for news regarding the delay of Bryan Singer’s Jack the Giant Killer 3D and Rock of Ages.

Warner Bros. Sets Screenwriter for Ben Affleck’s THE STAND; Matt Damon’s Untitled Drama Moves to Universal

by Adam Chitwood    Posted: January 18th, 2012 at 5:49 pm

We’ve got a couple updates on the latest projects from Oscar-winning screenwriting duo Ben Affleck and Matt Damon (yes, they act too). A few months ago Affleck was chosen by Warner Bros. to direct their big-budget adaptation of the Stephen King novel The Stand. While it’s been a while since we’ve heard any movement on the project, it now appears that Affleck has now set a screenwriter on the pic. After apparently wowing the studio with an adaptation of King’s It, David Kajganich (The Invasion) has been tapped to handle scripting duties. Hit the jump for much more, including news concerning the untitled drama that Damon was previously set to direct.

THE DEVIL INSIDE Director to Helm Thriller THE VATICAN for Warner Bros.

by Adam Chitwood    Posted: January 9th, 2012 at 12:34 pm

The surprise-hit status of The Devil Inside is proving to be rewarding for the film’s director. William Brent Bell, who helmed and co-wrote the found footage horror pic, has been set by Warner Bros. to direct The Vatican. Deadline reports that Bell will helm the conspiracy driven thriller that was scripted by David Cohen (No One Lives). No plot details are given, but the film will be fast tracked by Warner Bros. and is described as a hybrid that uses some found footage techniques.

The Devil Inside was acquired by Paramount for a mere $1 million, but opened to a record-breaking $34.5 million last weekend. Interestingly, the film was met with a harshly negative reaction from both critics and moviegoers. The film’s Cinemascore, which gauges audience reaction, was an “F”. Nevertheless, WB seems to be high on Bell as they plan on moving quickly with The Vatican. You can read our interview with the filmmaker here.

Tim Burton May Direct PINOCCHIO for Warner Bros.; Robert Downey Jr. Courted to Star

by Adam Chitwood    Posted: January 6th, 2012 at 4:48 pm

Competing projects with the same premise (usually based on a fairy tale) has become a thing as of late, and a new race has just kicked into high gear. Director Tim Burton is interested in directing Warner Bros.’ take on Pinocchio, and he has his eye on Robert Downey Jr. to star as Geppetto. The film tells the story of the woodcarver’s quest to reunite with his missing marionette. While it’s easy to roll one’s eyes at a project like this, the Black List script was written by Pushing Daisies creator Bryan Fuller. If it’s anywhere near the delightfully charming tone of his ill-fated television series, this Pinocchio take could make for quite the feature film. Throw in Burton and Downey Jr. and that’s a whole lot of whimsy. Hit the jump for more.

Warner Bros. Halts Production on AKIRA; Execs Want More Script Development

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: January 5th, 2012 at 12:14 pm

Studios have been trying to get the most bang for their buck when it comes to their blockbusters.  The Lone Ranger had to wrangle for a lower budget, and Paradise Lost, and The Dark Tower have been put into limbo as studios try to figure out how to bring down costs.  THR reports that Warner Bros. has put their adaptation of the manga/anime Akira on hold as they try to figure out how to re-work the script to lower the budget.  Producers Jennifer Kiloran Davisson and Andrew Lazar, and director Jaume Collet-Serra (Unknown) are trying to make the necessary changes, and Steve Kloves (Harry Potter) may be brought back to do another re-write after already having done one a year ago.

Hit the jump for more including a few updates.

IMAX Says No New Audio Mix on THE DARK KNIGHT RISES IMAX Prologue

by Steve 'Frosty' Weintraub    Posted: January 2nd, 2012 at 8:33 pm

Steve here. The other day we posted a story concerning the audio mix on the IMAX prologue of The Dark Knight Rises.  After speaking with Warner Bros. and IMAX, it appears our story was wrong and I’ve taken down the article as a result of my conversations.  While I could have just deleted the article, I feel it’s important to own up to your mistakes rather than just forget about them.  I’m sorry for any confusion.

Christopher Nolan Will Not Rework Bane’s Incomprehensible Voice in THE DARK KNIGHT RISES

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: December 20th, 2011 at 10:48 am

Yesterday, Batman fans were falling over themselves to praise the new trailer for The Dark Knight Rises.  There was plenty to like, but there was some agreement that the weakest aspect was trying to make out what Bane (Tom Hardy) was saying.  The same complaint was lodged against the six-minute prologue, but it didn’t seem like it would be a big deal to fix the problem.  Presumably, Christopher Nolan would hear the outcry, rework the ADR for Bane’s voice, and everyone would be happy.  Unfortunately, THR is reporting that Nolan is pretty okay with the current sound mix.  Sources at Warner Bros. say that the studio would like for Nolan to clarify the villain’s dialogue, but Nolan is using his independence “to alter the sound slightly, not to rework it completely.”  Nolan voiced a similar opinion following the premiere of the six-minute prologue when he told THR “that it was OK for a moviegoer not to understand what was said at times, as long as the overall idea was conveyed.”

It may be okay, but it’s also irritating and unintentionally comic.  Hit the jump for more.  The Dark Knight Rises opens July 20, 2012.

David Dobkin’s ARTHUR & LANCELOT Could Be Nixed if Budget Isn’t Lowered

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: December 13th, 2011 at 12:00 pm

Warner Bros. shelled out $2 million for the script to the Arthur & Lancelot and attached Wedding Crashers director David Dobkin to helm the potential tentpole flick.  However, when WB bought the movie, they thought they were looking at a $90 million flick, especially since they had saved money by hiring rising actors Joel Kinnaman (The Killing) and Kit Harington (Game of Thrones) to play the leads.  But Deadline reports that the studio is getting cold feat as the budget has ballooned to possibly $130 million.  Warner Bros. has reached the point where they’re willing to let Dobkin take the film to another studio that’s willing to foot the bill.  It’s not difficult to see Warners’ logic when you have two affordable but unproven stars and the continuing trend of declining ticket sales.

Hit the jump for a refresher on how Warner Bros. isn’t alone in willing to drop project in order to save costs.

Confirmed: WIZARDING WORLD OF HARRY POTTER Coming to Universal Hollywood; Universal Orlando Park Expanding

by Adam Chitwood    Posted: December 6th, 2011 at 2:52 pm

Just last week we reported that Universal Studios might be bringing The Wizarding World of Harry Potter to Hollywood. Today comes confirmation from Warner Bros. that Harry Potter is indeed coming to California. In addition, WB announced that The Wizarding World of Harry Potter at Universal Orlando will be expanding “significantly.” The park opened in June 2010 as part of Universal’s Islands of Adventure and has attracted muggles from across the globe to the tune of 7 million visitors. It’s no surprise that Orlando is expanding, given that the park was originally created to be as realistic as possible at the request of author J.K. Rowling. It appears she’s changed her mind after seeing the ridiculous amounts of people trying to fit into the narrow alleys of Hogsmeade cloying for Butterbeer.

Steve recently got the chance to visit the park in anticipation of the Blu-ray release of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2, and you can read his recap which includes a hefty amount of images of the attraction here. No official timetable is given for the Universal Hollywood grand opening, but the previous report said the park would be ready no earlier than 2015. Hit the jump to read the full press release.

UPDATE: We’ve posted some images from this mornings event.

Steven Soderbergh Will No Longer Direct THE MAN FROM U.N.C.L.E.

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: November 18th, 2011 at 6:30 am

Director Steven Soderbergh has exited the adaptation of the 1960s spy TV series The Man from U.N.C.L.E. Soderbergh had been developing the project since 2010 with screenwriter Scott Z. Burns, but The Playlist is reporting that the Oscar-winning director and Warner Bros. couldn’t come to an agreement over casting and budget.  You’ll recall that back in August, George Clooney passed on the lead role and the casting process has been drawn out ever since.  Actors mentioned for the lead include Bradley Cooper, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Ryan Gosling, Alexander Skarsgard, Joel Edgerton, and earlier this week we heard Channing Tatum was in the mix (i.e. the usual suspects of young actors who don’t care hefty price tags like Clooney or Matt Damon, who was also considered for the lead, but passed because it conflicted with production on his directing debut).

However, Warner Bros. only wanted to provide $60 million for the first in what was supposed to be a spy franchise for the studio, and Soderbergh reportedly felt that the number was too low, the casting process was taking too long, and he couldn’t put everything together for a March shooting date.  Hit the jump for more on the now-defunct movie.

CLASH OF THE TITANS 2 Now Officially Titled WRATH OF THE TITANS

by Adam Chitwood    Posted: November 16th, 2011 at 12:55 pm

To the surprise of no one, Warner Bros. has won the battle to use the title of Wrath of the Titans for their upcoming sequel to 2010’s Clash of the Titans. The studio had already settled on the name when the announcement of a sequel was first made, but they ran into a bit of trouble as “Wrath of the Titans” had already been trademarked by comic book publisher Bluewater Productions. Today it was announced that an agreement has been reached and the studio wil be able to use the moniker after all in exchange for licensing rights to the name.

Directed by Jonathan Liebesman (Battle: Los Angeles), the sequel takes place 10 years after the frist film and finds Perseus (Sam Worthington) called back into action when Zeus (Liam Neeson) is captured by Ares (Edgar Ramirez) and Hades (Ralph Fiennes) in a plot to unleash the titans. The cast also includes Rosamund Pike, Bill Nighy, and Danny Huston. Hit the jump to read the full press release regarding the title. Wrath of the Titans will be released in 3D on traditional screens and IMAX on March 30th.

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